From a LBD to a LBD
by LLSmoothJ
Summary: When a date goes horribly wrong, who's there to pick up the pieces?


Overall, it had been a horrifying night for her. Everything had been set up to be perfect. She had her hair done so it gave off a nice shine. Next, she had her nails done as they were painted red that sparkled when placed under the light. Next, came her facial and a massage and before she knew it, it was almost time for her date. Time really flew when you were having fun, especially when you were looking forward to something even better. You feel like everything in your day is going perfect. So perfect that you wish that it would never end. Granted, she knew that she wasn't perfect, but she was attractive. After all, they didn't accept just any Plain Jane on the cheer squad. You had to have that certain look. You had to have that certain appeal. You had to be able to make any guy at school look twice at you and say to himself, "Man, she's hot…" no matter how degrading it would be. One would guess that she'd be like a geisha of some sort, minus the prostitution. But then again, in the jocks point of view, one would disagree. But wouldn't it been too much to ask for a guy to say to her "You look beautiful?" Or even "You're one fantastic girl?"

Then came the night. The night she was waiting for. She had just come out of the shower as she was at her closet in a home she shared with her roommate, answering the only question left before her date would arrive: Just what in the hell was she going to wear? She had spent all of this time spending money on makeovers and being excited over what she was going to wear that she had forgotten what outfit she was going to wear! She already had a few potential candidates in mind. For this date, she needed something sexy, yet still classy enough to get her point across. That she wasn't just some, trashy, skanky, whore from the gutter who'd give up the first chance she got, but she'd also have some sex appeal to her and wasn't some prude from an Amish civilization. She looked at one outfit. It was a simple pair of blue jeans and a purple midriff. While it did look nice, it didn't contain the "sex-factor" she was looking for.

Next she came across a pair of black, tight leather pants. She mused to herself. These would clearly show off the right curves and her nice figure. But she needed to find the right top to go along with it. She did owned a red sequin halter-top to go along with the outfit, but unfortunately, her roommate was using it for tonight, probably trying to pick up some guy at a club. Nevertheless, to her, her top and leather pants were like steak and potatoes: Can't have one without the other. Another outfit that was scratched off her list tonight…

Time was depleting, as her date would arrive to pick her up at any minute. She needed to find something and something fast. The more time she took, the less time she had to get ready, the more desperate she became. At that point, she was just about to pick anything she was even ready to raid her roommate's closet to borrow a skirt or top. Just as she was beginning to decide if she was going to break into her roommate's closet or not, the worse case scenario has happened…

Her eyes went wide as she heard the sound of the doorbell. It was impossible; he couldn't have been there so soon. Or was she taking so much time she hadn't realized how fast time flew. She shook her head. Maybe it was just someone else. Probably a friend or even the UPS guy, for one reason or another.

"Hello? Are you here?" A male voice asked from behind the door as she began to sweat. He was here, and here she was, still in a towel, haven't done her makeup or anything, and she was still looking for an outfit. So much for her perfect day… She was shaking and scared out of her mind as she dug into her closet, hoping for a miracle. Luckily for her, she had found her miracle. A miracle that should've been obvious from the beginning! Why didn't she have thought about this before?

"Come on in, it's open." She called out as she grabbed her saving grace: A black dress. A backless little black dress that she just recently remembered that she owned! As the towel dropped, she quickly slipped into the dress. She began to remember why she loved this dress so much. For one thing, it complemented her figure quite well as showed off all the right curves. Another thing, it was classy and sexy, plus it kind of gave off a mischievous vibe. That she was looking for a night of fun and mischief. The spaghetti straps showed off her shoulders as they appeared to be well toned and the slit wasn't that high but high enough to show a bit of her thigh and nothing else.

She sighed to herself in satisfaction. One problem solved. Now all there was to do is to pick out the right shoes, apply her makeup, and most importantly put on some underwear. It was getting drafty in here. Fortunately for her, this came to be much easier as she picked a simple pair of black lace panties and placed on a pair of black high-heeled pumps! And her makeup? That was the shortest amount of time to put on as… Let's just say that tonight was a good night to implement the "less is more" suggestion. She wanted to put on a pair of black stockings, but due to time constraints, she wouldn't have enough time.

As she went to the living room, she saw him. He was well built, had black hair that went to his shoulders, and the most beautiful blue eyes she's ever seen. He said to her, as he checked her out. "You look niiice…"

She blushed a little at the complement. This guy was someone she saw around school once in a while. She didn't know much, but from the other cheerleaders, she heard that he was pretty much set for life. He had his father's TV Studio production company inherited to him and that they were pretty rich. Basically, he was high on the food chain of the social hierarchy. "Why thank you?" She managed to say as he stood up from the brown couch he was seated. In no time the two walked out of the door, and towards what would soon become the worst night of her life.

Don't get me wrong it went as well as any regular date would. They went to a nice, fancy restaurant, had decent conversation, and even caught a matinee that night. There were some flirting and staring, but nothing went beyond that. However, that was when things took a turn for the worse…

He had taken her outside of the town of Middleton, up to the cliff in Upperton. He had said that it had a good view at night, where the city lights shined so bright one would assume that below the cliff was a sea of light. When she saw it herself, she was amazed. It was something one would expect from a fantasy romance novel. However, the view was far from the real reason as at that moment, she felt a hand touch her left inner thigh. Startled, she turned to him and asked, "W-what are you doing?"

He turned towards he with a smile. "C'mon, babe! I know that you're getting bored just looking down there, right?" The smile wasn't as nice and comforting as it was when she first saw him. This one was filled with desire, hunger…lust?

"I'm just fine with the view, now if you would please…" She said as she went to move the intruding hand from her thigh, but another hand grabbed her wrist.

"What's wrong? S'not like we're alone!" He asked, a slight hint of frustration in his voice.

"I'm sorry Matt, but I'm just not ready!" She said as she yanked her hand away, but both hands grabbed her wrists as she soon found her back hitting the door, her head to the car window. "No…stop!"

"C'mon! I know you want it!" He grinned as he placed his hands on her shoulders, or more importantly, the straps to her dress.

"No…" She could protest all she wanted, but it wouldn't stop him gripping on the thin black straps as she struggled to break away, but he kept pulling on the straps to bring her closer to her. "Get your hands off me!" She cried. The real reason why he brought her here was clear: He didn't just wanted to have sex with her, but he wanted to have the beastly animalistic kind. The wild, perverted aspect of it, none of any romantic feelings involved. "Damn it, Matt, let me GO!" She pushed him away, but unfortunately, the straps to the dress broke off from the back, as with nothing to hold it up, a simple tug down and her breasts would be exposed. Speaking of which…

"Now let's see your two friends." He grinned evilly as his hand grabbed the front of her dress and pulled it down. As her dark nipples were shown, she couldn't take it anymore as she slapped him.

"FUCKING PERVERT!" She snapped at him as she glared at him.

"Damn…" He rubbed the now-red spot on his face as he glared back. "Bitch, what the fuck is your-"

"Take me home now, Matt!" She simply said, but no dice. She saw the look on his face. He was angry, but he was in lust. Pure, sadistic, lust… He wanted her, and there wasn't anything she could do to stop him from getting what he wanted… "I…I mean it…take me home now…" She said, afraid of what he was going to do to her as she soon found her mouth stopped by his lips as his hand was reaching under her dress. As his hand crept upward, his fingers were near her crotch as she began to sweat. She knew that she had to do something! Otherwise this animal who was her so-called "date" was going to rape her. It was then when she did something that was a bit low, but he deserved it…

Matt screamed loud as the 4-inch stiletto heel was jammed right into his crotch as she went to unlock the door. The door that stood between her and her escape but as she was about to open the latch, she was pulled back by her long hair, crying in pain.

"That's it, you little bitch!" Matt yelled as with a press of a button, the seats fell backward, leaving him room to do what he wanted. She was teasing him all night and now he was going to get what he's been waiting for… He forcefully dragged her into the back as he then climbed on top of her, smiling.

"Somebody please save me…" She cried, tears coming out of her eyes as Matt reached down, pulled up her skirt, and, much to her fear and shock, managed to rip her panties directly from her crotch. She soon feared for the worse as she heard the sound of his pants unzipping.

"You're gonna like this…" He grinned. "Although, it may hurt a little. This is worth it!"

"No…" She cried…no begged. "Please Matt…don't… stop!"

"'Don't stop?' Don't worry, I don't intend to…" He coldly said in preparation. "I never do babe…." Much to her horror, she saw that his tool now ready. "Here I come!"

"Noo…AAAAAAH!" She let out a scream as his penetration began. Within each thrusts, her screams became louder and louder. She just hoped that, if there truly were indeed a god, someone would help her… Unfortunately for her, there was nobody at miles distance. It was just her, and him…nobody else…

…

It was a long walk back to the town from the cliff. What started out as the perfect day ended up being the worst day in her life! Her so-called "perfect date," after he was done with her, decided to let her "rest" out on the grass. He had took her out of her home, fooled her with dinner and a movie, and took her far away where nobody could hear her scream and did the unthinkable. As the blood from her vagina dripped onto the inside of her leg, her virginity wasn't the only thing Matt had taken from her. He had taken her freedom, her dignity, her innocence away from her.

As she carried her heels in one hand and her purse in the other, the small rocks from the sidewalk pierced the bare soles of her feet. She was getting tired as she was still feeling the effects of what Matt did to her. She was just about ready to collapse at any moment. Why…why did this have to happen? Why, out of all the guys she could've gone out with, this one had to be a complete pervert? Just like the jocks she had used to date? Why couldn't she have gone out with a nice guy for once? A nice guy who'd actually wanted to just talk instead of thinking about sex. Take Matt for tonight? She thought that he was a nice guy, a perfect gentleman. Then at that cliff, he instantly transformed into a manical, crazed sex freak without any care for her opinions much less her condition! What happened to the nice, wonderful guy she was dating hours ago? Or was it all just a façade?

She sighed. Even thinking was tiring to her. She just needed to have time to rest…to rest…just a little while… just rest… As she leaned her back to a building, her legs began to feel like jelly as she soon found herself with her bottom on the concrete. Even her eyes began to feel heavy as her vision became blurry. Within seconds, her eyes closed. She was out like a light. Nobody who was around noticed, let alone cared about her or her condition! They've already had their own problems and business to take care off. All…save for one…

…

The next day came, as she opened her eyes. She looked around as her dark eyes went wide. There was sunlight, but not as much as she was expecting. After all, wasn't she outside if she remembered correctly? This was not outside at all. Instead, she was inside a room that wasn't too big, but not too small either. She found herself on a twin-sized bed, covered in a light blue comforter. The interior was, let's be honest, rather dull. The white walls were blank, not a single frame on the wall. Whoever owned this house obviously didn't have much taste going for them.

As she sat up, she noticed something else. She wasn't wearing the dress anymore, but an oversized T-shirt, and from the absence of the coolness between her legs, she was wearing underwear. She began to tense a bit. What if whoever brought her here was a pervert? Or maybe Matt decided to pick her up and had another round. She sighed as she pulled the covers off, stepping out of bed as she opened the wooden door. As her soles felt the fuzz of the brown carpet, compared to the small rocks that were on the sidewalk last night, it was a welcome change.

Once she had walked into the hall, she saw a few frames of pictures. At least the hallway was better decorated. It had a nice abstract painting on one side while there was a more simplified portrait of a group of kittens on the other. It must be the colors that appealed to her, but she kept moving. She needed to find whoever the hell owned this place and fast. Because in honest truth, she was getting a bit scared. This was a stranger's house after all, and for all she knew this could be some kind of a whore house run by some pimp who wanted to prostitute her for sex. However, when she walked into the living room she was in for a surprise.

"Oh, you're awake?" And older woman who appeared to be in her late forties smiled at her, as she currently was in the process of washing dishes! "Thought you'd never wake up! Wouldn't blame ya, after what you've been through…"

She blinked. Just what exactly did this woman know about her and her situation anyway? Was she the one who found her last night and brought her over to her home? Or did she just showed up here and just didn't remember it? Or, as much as a long shot as it was, was it just a bad dream? "Excuse me, could you just tell me what happened?"

"What happened? Ronald found you laying on the ground last night while he was closing the restaurant." She explained. "He didn't trust himself around girls so he brought you here. Saying something about you being happier waking up here than at his place." She sighed. "I thought the boy lost his mind! Just couldn't seem why anyone wouldn't like a nice boy like him."

"Wait, excuse me… Who?"

"Ronald! That boy who just lives across the hall! He was just closing the restaurant when he saw you on the ground unconscious! He saw that you were okay so he took you to this apartment. You appeared to be bruised and have a few small cuts, but I managed to clean you up a bit and put you into some warm, clean clothes."

"Well… Thanks." The girl was unsure how to react. On one hand, she was stripped down once again, but on the other hand she was cleaned up and was placed into some warm, clean clothes. And this guy who helped her, "Ronald." She did know of someone who had a similar name, but there was no way _he_ could possibly be the same person. But for some reason, she had to know. "Do you know where he is now?"

"Well, given the time, he's probably working at The Séregon right now." The woman explained as she placed a now-dried plate in the shelf. "Usually he's on his break, but he has his own personal policy not to leave until every customer was serve, unless it was an extreme emergency."

"If it's who I think it is I could name one of them…" She said in a soft, yet bitter voice, as memories came to mind. They weren't the best memories, but they were memories nevertheless. "Do you happen to know where this 'Séregon' is?"

"It shouldn't be too far. Just about a few blocks down!" She explained with a smile. "You're going to talk to him, I presume?"

"I do have some words for him…" She said to herself, but not the kind of words the older woman would expect. Actually, the words would be out of resentment if "Ronald" was who she thought he was.

"You're not going to go out dressed like that, are you?" The woman reminded the girl of the clothes she was wearing.

"This is better than that thing I was wearing." She declared. She didn't want to wear her little black dress anymore! As far as she was concerned, she didn't own a little black dress! That outfit she wore last night would only serve as a reminder of people like Matt. And remembering that perverted, chauvinistic piece of shit was the last thing she needed or wanted.

"I'll tell you what, back in the room there's a closet full of clothes my daughter used to wear before she moved to Toronto. You can pick and keep whatever you like." She said with a smile.

"Thank you so much!" The girl smiled as she went back to the room she was previously in, ready to see what kind of clothes there were inside. She didn't know what kind of clothes she were to expect, as her daughter could've been either very fashionable or, no offense to the woman who graciously helped her, a total nerd. Whatever it was, it would at least be better than what she was wearing now, and would be a lot less painful mentally than that dress she was wearing.

…

"Thanks Miss Miller!" She called out to the older woman as she walked out of the apartment. She was now dressed in a pair of tight blue jeans and a beige mid-sleeve-length midriff, save for her heels that were the only article of clothing that was originally hers. Luckily the apartment was on floor level, as she was in no mood to walk down the stairs or wait for the elevator. "Now to find the guy…" She said to herself as she went to walk through the streets of Upperton. According to Miss Miller's directions, it wasn't too far of a distance. But that wasn't what she was worried about what she would do when she got there. More importantly, what she would do when she saw _him_!

It wasn't as if she completely hated the guy, don't get her wrong, but it was more of being very angry with him. But maybe it wasn't have been him! For all she knew it could've been someone with a similar name but was a complete stranger. Then again, what if it was? What if it was Ron Stoppable? She wasn't sure if she could control her emotions, especially thinking about what happened few days before graduation. Especially what happened with Tara!

Ron was considered a froob, geek, loser, dweeb, just about any name in the book by a lot of people herself included. He had the most weird, if not disgusting, habits in schools, from the way he eats his food and how he had that naked mole whatever the hell he called it in his pocket. The guy actually had "Never be Normal" as his motto. That was basically begging to be shunned by a school society with norms and standards as high as they were. But he had at least one good thing going for him. That he was loyal, kind, and caring when he possibly could be, although he did tend to go overboard with a few things.

Of course, with his status, Ron couldn't get a date to save his life! But for some reason, Tara had a crush on him. Granted it went away and she started dating Josh Mankey, but when it ended, Tara started to crush on him again. Back then, she couldn't possibly had any idea what she saw in the outcast blonde but maybe it was the kindness and caring that she showed. Too bad he was oblivious then and he was oblivious now! Otherwise, _that_ wouldn't have happened.

One of Ron's biggest flaws what that he never paid attention what was going on, especially with the opposite sex. Wait, almost especially with the opposite sex. There was Kim Possible, his best friend. It was that day when Tara went over to talk to Ron, admitting her feelings for her. But it didn't do any good. Ron was supposed to say yes to Tara! Not just because it'd be the first date he had in his pathetic life, but because… well… who wouldn't want to date Tara? She was nice, caring, never having a bad word to say about anyone! Who wouldn't want to be with a girl like her? Ron apparently, for some insane reason, as she remembered hearing Tara's teary eyed words. "He said, 'I like you too, Tara! But you see, as much as I would love for us to be together, it would never work out! I'm sorry!'" From seeing Tara's tears, she wanted to beat the blonde down so bad, and scream in his face "What are you thinking? What's wrong with you?" Soon, she found out that she should've already seen the signs as he followed Kim around! Ron was in love with Kim all this time! Even when Kim went with someone else he'd still be around to "have her back!" Why Ron didn't go out with Tara? It was simple: Ron was so much into Kim that he could care less about anything or anyone else! To him, it was as if without Kim, it wasn't worth living, and it sickened her! She didn't know whether the guy was obsessed with or horribly dependent on her! Maybe she could ask him one day…

As she made it to the place, from looking inside the window, she saw that it wasn't that big of a restaurant, but it wasn't that small either. She saw a several people inside seated at the tables, as the waiters and waitresses served them. She decided why not as she walked in. She was starting to get hungry herself.

She took a seat at the table with only two chairs that were across from each other. She took the laminated menu from the table as she began to read its contents. With a smile, she decided that a Caesar's Salad would do. All that was left for her to do was to just wait until a waiter or waitress, whichever one of them, walked over and asked her for her order. From seeing how busy they currently were, she knew that it would take a while…

As the sound of the toe of her right shoe tapping on the marble floor could be heard, she showed sign of impatience. Her eyes narrowed in frustration, wasn't anyone going to serve her? Surely they could've just taken care of her before they went on their little break, right?

"You're looking better!"

She blinked as she turned back to the source of the voice as she tried to keep a straight face to prevent her emotions getting to her. It appeared that it _was_ he after all, as she saw that smile on his face! That smile that Tara came to love. 'Calm down… He may've broken Tara's heart, but he did help you…' Her emotions tried to overwhelm her, but at the end she made her move. "Hi, how are you?" She decided that it wasn't a good idea just to give him the riot act, no matter how much he deserved it. At least not yet…

"I'm okay!" Ron replied, "First time here, I see!"

"Yeah…" So far things were going so well, but as much as she should be grateful that he had helped her last night, she didn't want to put on the façade that everything was okay, let alone between the two of them. "Ron, can we talk?"

"Hmm…" Ron looked around to assess the situation. While it was nice to talk to someone he knew, even though it wasn't well and probably wasn't on good terms with her, he couldn't just stop for a chat on the job. But from the empting tables, the flow of customers appeared to slow down as he looked at his watch. As the digital face stated 1:45, he knew that people were on their way back to work so the slowing down of business was more than understandable. "I guess now that the restaurant's not as busy I could go on a break." He said as he took a seat in front of her.

She chuckled. "So… I guess this is how you make a living, huh? As a waiter working at the restaurant?"

"No, not really!" Ron replied. "I actually own this restaurant, believe it or not!"

She blinked in shock. Ron Stoppable! School loser, sidekick, and overall coward managed to own his own business? This had to be a joke. "No way…"

"It's true! You know the name 'Séregon?' That's 'Unstoppable' in Elvish! So in a way, this restaurant is called 'The Unstoppable!'"

A chuckle came from her lips, "Of course you would come up with a name like that!" He was the same old Ron all right! Only someone like him would come up a name that was influenced by Geekdom. It appeared that he also really was the owner of this restaurant. "If that's the case, then why are you-"

"In the apron?" He finished for her.

"Yeah, that…"

"'Filling in for a friend." Ron explained. "One of my regulars' wife's about to go into labor any day now and he wants to spend time with the baby and his wife. Y'know, to help around the house and to bond with the baby. I just told him, 'Take all the time you need, my friend!' After all, this is the most important time in a child's life, to get to know both their parents."

She nodded in agreement. "Why… how did you get enough to afford all of this?"

"Do you remember a guy name Timothy North?" Ron asked as he then saw the blank expression on her face. "Okay, he was the guy who was the Fearless Ferret from the old Fearless Ferret TV Show."

"Honestly, never heard of it." She replied. "Maybe I saw it on one of those TV Trash Heap things, but what does that have to do with you?"

"Well, while I was Sunshine Spreader, I was assigned to lift his spirits. At first, things started off sour. But then when Ferret Fest came, things got a lot better. Then when he died, because he didn't have any living relatives, he basically entitled me to all of his possessions!"

"Wow…" That was the only thing that came to her mind from hearing this. Talk about a classic "from geek to sheik" story! She knew about Ron and his money from the Nacos that were sold, but unlike last time he seemed more down to earth. In fact, unless he told them, nobody would ever think that he, of all people, was rich. No, he wasn't rich he just had lots of money. Rich people liked to flaunt their money and rub in how rich they were to others, especially the less-fortunate ones! Ron was waaay to mellow to be rich. It was as if he wasn't that rich at all.

"And so I have my restaurant! Yeah, it's a chore taking care of everything, but it's worth it!" Ron sighed as he smiled, "So what's up with you? What happened last night that caused you to be out in the middle of the street?"

She really wished he didn't bring that up. All she wanted to do was forget about that dreadful night. But apparently, Ron's curiosity had to bring it up. "Let's just say that I thought that I was going to have a good date, but it would've been better if it turned out to be a complete disaster. Last night was worst than a complete disaster."

"Oh no…" It was worse than he thought. He was wondering why there was blood on the side of her leg. If what happened was what he thought happened…

"He raped me…" She said as a tear came from her eye. "Matt, he…" She shook her head. "I don't want to think about it…" She felt her hand being grabbed and hold by Ron's larger hands.

"Hey, it'll be okay!" He assured. "Forget about that guy! He'll get what he has coming soon!"

She moved her hand away. "I don't even know why I even bother with guys! All they ever think about is only one thing! And if we don't give it to them, then they take it without even caring about us at all! They're so not worth my time anymore…"

"Okay… Well… I can't speak for all guys obviously, but I can say that we're not all like that!"

"Right! Not all guys are like that!" She mocked. "They're either gay, already taken, or too stupid to realize that a girl, a wonderful girl likes them and they end up breaking her heart!"

Ron saw her glare that was directly at him when she mentioned the latter. He already had a feeling where it was going, and it was something that he questioned himself for doing many time. Needless to say, he could understand her anger towards him, as he was still a bit angry with himself over it.

"Why did you do it?" She asked. "How could you do that to Tara? How could you hurt her like that?" Emotions from that day began to return to her, as she was ready to rip his head off and feed it to a pool of piranhas.

Ron sighed as he looked down. "Sometimes I couldn't even understand why myself."

"Don't give me that 'I don't know' bullshit, Ron Stoppable! How could you break the heart of the one girl who, for some reason, actually had a crush on you?"

"Like I said, I don't know okay! I mean, I really wanted to go out with a girl and I really did like Tara! But then there was Kim and…" Ron sighed, "I always thought that she and I would end up together, being that we've been friends since Pre-K and we go way back."

"Even when she was dating someone else you felt this way?" She was starting to get annoyed with this guy! It was like if it wasn't Kim Possible, he could care less about any other girl. He probably would even pick her over his own mother!

"Yeah, I know it could be hurting at times, but hey? I always had KP's back, why stop now? I made it this far, did I?" Ron explained. "She'd do the same for me if the roles were reversed! Even now, with me in Upperton, and her in New York, there's no way our bond could be shattered like that. Too much history there!"

She wanted to smack herself in the head then punch this idiot out! It was worse than she thought, much worse! Even when they're not in the same city and wasn't as together as they used to be, Ron was still into Kim. He was as if he was some lost puppy without her! No wonder Tara was heartbroken after she basically poured out her heart to him! Kim had Ron wrapped around her finger so much that Tara, or any other girl for that matter, didn't had a chance in the world with him. It was that sad. But at least now he showed that he wasn't so dependant of Kim and maybe he could actually produce a life of his own. She had to admit that it was nice to talk to him and she was interested to know how his life has been since high school!

A ringing sound was heard from under the table as Ron reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. "Hey KP!" He answered. "What's up? …You're flying to Middleton right now? And you want me to meet you there in 20 minutes? Kim, you know that I'm at work and I can't just leave to…" Ron sighed, "I'll see what I could do. Later KP!"

She sighed as she watched Ron place away his cell. She didn't need to think about what he was going to do next: He was going to drop everything and, like always, go help Kim Possible! Ron was a nice guy, but he was and still so wrapped up around Kim's finger, and most of the girls, especially from the squad, didn't like it! Herself included. Also, consequentially, this would mean that she would have to spend the day alone, with no way of getting home. Maybe Ron could at least be generous enough to drop her off before answering Kim's call.

"Sometimes, I feel sorry for her…"

She scoffed. There he was again, making excuses for his actions just to 'have KP's back.' She didn't even why she'd even bother with the… She blinked in response when she realized what he had actually said, as if she was broken out of her trance. "I beg your pardon?"

"Kim… I just feel for her sometimes…" Ron explained with a sigh, "Every time I propose that we start a relationship and get together, she's always talking about how it would change our friendship and wondered what would happen if the friendship didn't work out? I mean mostly everyone figured that we'd ended up together in the first place, why not make it official? Then Kim gets a new crush that she's always telling me about, as if I wouldn't care that some guy she happened to meet in the big city is being picked over a guy who's always been there for her since Pre-K! And now she wants me to come running back to her! She'll need someone to talk to and she'll immediately go to me as if I haven't found anything worthwhile to do than listen to her own problems. I know that I said that I'd have her back and all, but even I have my limits!"

"Well you are the boss! It wasn't as if you couldn't just treat yourself with a day off!" She replied. While she didn't wanted to be shafted like he did with Tara for Kim, she had to admit that it wasn't really impossible for him, being the boss and owner of the restaurant, to give himself the day off.

"I know, but I don't like to abuse my power. I mean, my employees can't just take a day off when they want to, so why should I? Would it be fair to you that you had to work and couldn't get a day off when you wanted one yet the boss could decide not to show up if he wanted to?"

"Hmm… I never thought of it that way…" But she had to ask him this. "So, are you going to go pick her up?"

"While I'd like to be there for Kim, but something came up that's more important." He informed.

"And what's more important than that?"

"Your well-being!" Ron informed with a smile as a smile of her own formed on her face. Ron was basically going to ditch Kim for someone else for a change, and that someone was just going to be her. She didn't know whether to feel honored or concerned. Honored that Ron was starting to see that there were other girls than Kim and she was the first. Concerned because, as nice as she was, she wasn't sure if she wanted to fall for him, or at least that quickly. He _was_ the guy who broke Tara's heart… She saw his smile again as she couldn't help but smile back at him. Okay, maybe it wouldn't be so bad if she fell for him.

"Since you're basically staying there because you're concerned for my well-being, would you mind spending the day with me?" She asked. "I could use the company. My roommate's probably out again."

"But what did I just tell you about me just giving myself the day off?"

"Please Ron? You probably were going to do it for Kim!" She pleaded with him. "My other friends are on the other side of the country, and god knows where that girl is, I need you Ron!"

'Where did I heard _that_ before…' Ron wondered as he took a look at those dark orbs. They were filled with desperation and need. With a sigh, Ron answer. "Okay, but just this once!"

She smiled as she almost jumped over the table to hug him. "Oh thank you, Ron!" She cried, as Ron thought to himself 'what the hell?' All of this just because he used his break for her. He didn't know whether she was using him or she really wanted to hang around him today. All he knew was that he would have to do double overtime to make up the work he would miss.

After the hug was broken, Ron stood up as he took off his apron. "Hey Jim, I'm leaving things to you! Something came up!" He said as a man of Arabic descent nodded in agreement. Ron knew that the assistant manager could handle things whenever he was gone, at least he hope he did, given how much he was being paid.

"First, could we stop by my place for a bit?" She asked as she stood up. "As much as they're cute and all, I'd like to change out of the clothes?"

"Let me guess: Miss Miller gave you that outfit, huh?"

"Actually I picked it out myself!" She explained. "Nice lady, though!"

…

It had been a full twenty minutes before they had made it back to Middleton as they had arrived at her house. From the empty space where a particular car usually would be, she knew that there was no one else who was home.

"Are you sure you want me to come in?" Ron asked as he watched his companion unlock the door.

"Of course, trust me!" She replied with a smile. "I mean, it's not like you've never gone inside a girl's house before!"

"That's different! KP's been my best friend for years! I'm just starting to get to know you, and you know about-"

"Don't mention it Ron! Let's just forget all about high school and the food chain, okay?"

Ron sighed as he said in an unsure tone. "Okay…" The door opened as the two walked in. "Can't I ask you a question, though?"

She looked back. "Sure!"

"I know that it's none of my business and all, but what ever happened to your dress?" This question made her froze as Ron realized his mistake. "Oh I am so sorry! Forget what I said, forget it!"

"It's okay Ron…" She sighed. "Look, as far as I'm concerned, I don't care if I never see that thing again." She declared. As far as she was concerned, that little black dress represented nothing but bad memories for her. More specifically, that horrible night with Matt…whatever his name was.

As he watched her walk into the bedroom, Ron took this time to gather his thoughts of what's been going on. Forget being new, this was strange to him. Back in high school she wouldn't be even talking to him, much less inviting him over to her house. He had to wonder if any of this would've happened sooner if he'd actually said yes to Tara, instead of worrying about Kim? He knew that after that he was suddenly on the Squad's blacklist, and he wouldn't blame them. He was still angry with himself for breaking her heart like that. But then again, he felt that by saying yes he'd be betraying Kim in a way. He did make a vow to always have her back, how was he supposed to do it if he had a girlfriend besides her? It was already clear: He wouldn't be able to watch Kim's back forever and the sooner he came to terms with that the better it would be for everyone… maybe not everyone.

Ron's thoughts were soon interrupted as he heard his cell phone ring again. As he took it out, he sighed. He already had a good idea who was on the other end, but he couldn't just avoid it. She didn't deserve that. "Hello?"

_"Ron, where are you? You were supposed to meet me here! What happened?" _

"Look Kim…" Ron started, but was cut-off.

_"Don't you 'Look Kim' me, Ron! You said that you were going to meet me at the airport and pick me up! Yet you're not here, leaving me to stand there like I'm just some lost idiot! WHY?"_

"Kim, I never said that! I said that I'd see what I could do!"

_"Which I took as a given that you'd do whatever it took for you to meet me and pick me up from here!"_

"Look Kim, I have other matters that need to worry about right now! I'm not going to be able to have your back this time. I'm sorry!"

_"What? Ron, you better have a good excuse this time! I've already had possibly the worse breakup in my life and when I turn to my best friend, someone who I thought who would always be there for me no matter what, for comfort, now I'm hearing that you're not even going to show up? Damn it, Ron I need you! I really need you! More than ever…"_

"…" Ron closed his eyes as he lowered his head. "Sorry Kim… She needs me more…"

_"'She?' Who is 'she' that could possibly be more important than m-"_ Ron ended the call before she could finish. He knew that he'd have an angry redhead to contend with later, but there were more important matters at hand.

"Who was that?"

Ron heard her voice from the room, and from the relaxed tone of voice, she had just finished changing and was now ready. "Nothing… Just a little distraction…" He said. It may have been Kim on the phone, but in this case she was a distraction. The very distraction that made him hurt Tara in the first place: A decision he had vowed to never make again. Speaking of distractions…

"Well, what do you think?" She asked as she walked over to him. She had changed into a short, backless blue dress that was held up by a spaghetti strap over her shoulders, save for the black leather jacket she was wearing over said dress, black high-heeled boots, and black stockings.

"You look badical!" He said with a smile and a thumb up. "So…Any special occasion for this?"

She giggled, "No! It's just something I just wanted to wear. I mean, I always talked about wearing my Little Blue Dress, now I have this chance to."

"I like! Any guy would be lucky to have a girl like you!"

She placed a finger under her chin as she closed her eyes, "Now that you mentioned it… I do have a small list of possible prospects."

"Really, would you care to tell?" Ron asked as he stood up.

Her eyes narrowed as she smiled. "Well… I know that you're on that list."

"Oh really!"

"Yep… At least you realize that there are other girls in the world besides Kim!"

"I know that… But I can't help but think that you're jellin' a bit!"

"So not! I don't want to have some guy wrapped around my finger that a girl who truly liked him would be hurt all because of my hold on him!"

"Jellin' like a felon baby!" Ron smirked at seeing her shocked expression. "Hey, if you play your cards right, I could show you the same devotion!" He teased.

"That could be nice, just as long as you don't start callin' me by my initials or like 'I got ya back MH!' That would get a bit annoying."

"Consider it done!" Ron nodded as they both proceeded to leave the house.

"One question…" She asked as she opened the door. "Isn't Kim going to be pissed that you picked me over her?"

"Remembering the numerous times she's picked plenty of guys over me, for her to get pissed off at me for doing the same would be very hypocritical of her. So she has no room to complain. And besides, you're the one that's actually suffered, and I'd place a girl who had been raped last night higher on my priority list than a girl who had just broken up with a guy-again!"

"But what if she does get angry?"

"She won't get angry! And if she does, she'd have to go through me to get to you! Let's just say that my restaurant isn't the only thing that's changed with me." He said with a hint of confidence in his voice. "Marcella, don't worry. I have your back!"

"Thanks Ron!" She replied as she placed her lips on his cheek, giving him a small kiss as Ron remembered. That was how it all started with him and Tara King. Hopefully he and Marcella Hernandez won't end up like him and Tara.

* * *

This was usually going to be a one-shot story to fulfill two challenges from the Challenge forums on but it's probably past the date since it took me forever to write but I decided to put it up anyway. Now the question is, do you want a follow up or no? R&R people! 


End file.
